Customer Reviews

Consulting for Dummies

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Consulting for Dummies follows the Dummies formula - broad but not deep. I bought this book without really checking it out, and it ended up not containing the information I was interested in (financial and legal aspects of running a consulting business)

What this book does have is good information on ethics, pricing, marketing yourself, and writing a brochure to describe what you do.

If you're completely new to running your own business or consulting (maybe on the side), this would be a great book to pick up.

Consulting for Dummies by Bob Nelson and Peter Economy International Data Group Books Worldwide, Inc. 1997

Consulting for Dummies is a practical guide for anyone considering the field of consulting for either part time or full time employment. The book is written in a clear, understandable format and is interspersed with interviews with actual consultants to give a first hand view of what goes on in the life of a consultant. A wide range of consulting experiences is addressed - from individuals who operate alone, to larger consulting firms.

The book is divided into five main parts, each one prefaced by a 5th Wave cartoon. Part One is: "What's a Consultant". This section not only defines what a consultant is, but has the reader analyze his/her own situation by way of quizzes, assessments and considerations as to whether or not consulting would be an appropriate field to venture into. After going through this section, the reader will know if s/he has what it takes or even still wants to be a consultant.

Part Two, "The Consulting Process", addresses the basic steps that are involved when taking on a consulting project - from writing proposals, collecting and analyzing data, and developing, presenting and implementing recommendations. The authors go through these areas in a practical, applicable format while at the same time reminding the reader to really develop the relationships with clients in order to best meet their needs. While the first two parts of the book go over basic considerations, the third section, "Key Consulting Skills", delves into some underlying abilities and personal practices that affect the consultant and his/her effectiveness. Personal image, ethics, organization and communication skills are some of the areas touched on. Again, the advice given is practical and specific.

Parts Four and Five, "Setting Up Your Business" and "Marketing Your Business" get into the promotion of, bookkeeping tips and other business aspects of a consultant's career. And finally, Part Six: "The Part of Tens", is composed of tips involving online services and activities that can be of help and several annotated lists of ten pieces of advice concerning common mistakes in consulting, writing winning proposals, and building and marketing your business.

I would recommend Consulting for Dummies as a good primer for anyone considering consulting as a career. It is the type of book that can be used as a handy reference throughout the initial years of setting up a consulting practice.

I read "Consulting for Dummies", by Bob Nelson and Peter Economy, cc1997 Book Worldwide, Inc. This is definitely an introduction to consulting book. I found that it was easy to read, as well as enjoyable. I would like to cover the authors' credentials, the book itself, and what I found most valuable about the book. To begin with, Bob Nelson of Nelson Motivation, Inc. has published 17 different business and management books. He has a master's degree in business administration and has been in the forefront of the media, regarding business and marketing. His co-author Peter Economy is currently a freelance business writer and a business consultant. He has published two other books, including, "Managing for Dummies", and has published other written articles as well. He has over 15 years of management experience and is currently pursing his MBA. Together these tow authors create a book that can be read and comprehended by anyone. If you're planning to enter the consulting arena I would recommend this be the first book you acquire. The book begins by seeing if an individual is cut out to be a consultant. Once it is decided that being a consultant is for you, then you can move on to anyone of the books 28 chapters. The highlights include the following. Why consult, what consultants do, choosing the right route and making the transition to consulting are what comprise the first section of the book. These items are very useful in showing the reader the path to success. This first part will find out what you are good at, and how to expound upon that. The second phase of the book walks you through the consulting process. This includes defining the problem, what kinds of data are available and what to do with it. It also covers problem solving and developing and making recommendations. This is the heart of the book! The authors do a fantastic job of laying out the material and breaking it down in layman terms. Part three of the book is what I would call the lungs of the book, not as important as the heart, but still vitally to overall success. This part includes things like image, communication, how to do successful reports and how to make technology work to your benefit. This will help guide you once you have the basics. Once you have read, and reread the first three parts, then you can move on to setting up and marketing your consulting business. These two areas are covered quite extensively. This is where you will learn how to generate and sustain business, set up your fees and build your business, also this part will show you how to negotiate a contract as well. The last part of the book is called the "part of tens". This is several chapters with ten ideas in each, for example, ten tips for negotiating a great contract, or the ten biggest mistakes a consultant can make. While all of these book was worth reading several ideas were the most important for my needs. I thoroughly enjoyed the chapter on whether or not to have a home based office or not. It was something I had considered but I didn't see the cons before reading this chapter. While I am still planning to work at home, I am aware of some pitfalls to avoid. I also enjoyed the chapter on tracking time and money. The book even gave me an activity log that I plan to incorporate into my daily practice. I enjoyed the set up of this book. While this may seem a minute point, to me it is not. The layout, with the table of contents helped me find everything I needed without a lot of wasted time. I also loved the fact that the authors used several different icons to denote things that were extra important, or pitfalls to avoid. This book, written by very knowledgeable authors contains quite a bit of information. I pointed out some parts that were helpful for me. While everyone's' needs of this book maybe be different, I firmly believe everyone needs this book.

As an experienced consultant, I was surprised to find the amount of useful information in this book that I did. As a "...For Dummies" book, I expected that the information would be too basic for anyone with any real experience. Certainly, the book is geared toward beginners; however, I felt that the initial client interview checklist, suggestions for creating an implemenation plan, post-implementation impact study, and information on interim and final reports were really solid (although they could/should all be addressed in more detail). My one real complaint about this book is the lack of any meaningful discussion on proposals. All professionals new to consulting should know that proposals are an important marketing tool. Sure, there are a lot of consultants who avoid writing them, but the purpose of the proposal is not only to market the current project but A CHAIN OF PROJECTS. Proposals don't have to be overly complex. In fact, 65-85% of the material can be standard boilerplate. However, when you are long gone and your presentation is all but forgotten, your proposal and final reports will likely still be around. Believe me, the proposal is a powerful marketing device (if done correctly). Unfortunately, this book provides zero insight into how to craft a winning proposal. Otherwise, this is a good little guide for new consultants. However, two far better choices would be Alan Weiss' "Million Dollar Consulting" and/or his "Getting Started in Consulting." Overall grade: B/B+

I bought this book because I was planning on going into consulting and read many good reviews only to be disappointed. I agree with fsb102 in that it states the obvious, things that common sense will tell you. For example: be organized, referrals are key, have prepared letters, be professional. Even what to include in the letters is basic.

However, I do see how this can help someone completely new to business or consulting, especially someone that hasn't gone to college. It gives a basic understanding of what consulting is about.

I purchased this book thinking it would be a great overview of the consulting profession and a how-to for private consulting. What I ended up reading was bland summarizations of overly obvious facts--very few chapters in this book don't rehash past topics. My recommendation to any would-be buyer is this: if you have a college education, especially in business, spend your money elsewhere. (Same goes for those who possess above average logic) Otherwise, this book might be sufficient for you.

Consulting for Dummies is a wonderful introductory text for the aspiring consultant. The authors, Nelson and Economy, have a wealth of experience both in their chosen professions and as writers. Their experience as writers comes through as clear, concisely written text that is reads easily and, often, enjoyably. This is a rarity for "professional" type texts.

The book begins with a focus on assisting the reader in their decision on whether or not to consult. This is accomplished by giving a basic description of what a consultant does (including a very important section on what a consultant does not do), as well as asking the reader to determine their personal feelings about what career path they wish to follow, and describing the probable path of transition from traditional occupations to consulting.

Should the reader, after this dose of reality, still wish to learn more about a consulting career, Consulting for Dummies obliges by dedicating several chapters to describing the processes involved in an actual consultation. Consulting for Dummies picks apart the process from defining the problem to implementation on a relatively superficial level, but with enough detail to provide the reader with basic information suitable for handling a relatively uncomplicated contract.

Part three of Consulting for Dummies deals with development of consulting skills. Expected business topics such as time management, communication, and presentations are given adequate coverage. I was impressed, though, with the fact that the first topic discussed was ethics, an area too often overlooked in many texts. There is also a very basic chapter on how to use technology.

Now that the professional skills have been covered, Consulting for Dummies moves on to several chapters about business practices. Everybody wants to know about the money, so the authors comply by starting with advice on how to set your fees and negotiate contracts. There area also nice chapters on marketing your business.

As is usual, the book ends with lists of 10's. 10 ways to build your business...10 ways to (fill in the blank). While these tips are useful, these chapters seem mainly to be written for those who want to get the tips and not read the rest of the book.

Overall, Consulting for Dummies is pretty typical fare from the for Dummies series. The information covers a lot of ground, but with little depth. Always enjoyable are the frequent case studies and "interviews" presented throughout the text (as well as the cartoons!). I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is, as I am, almost completely outside the business world and wants to know more about what consulting is. If, however, you are looking for a book to help with a particularly difficult consulting situation or need some in-depth knowledge about a particular problem, I would suggest the reader look elsewhere.

I've run into some rather useful book in the series "For Dummies" but this book almost does honor to its name! And, honestly, what could you expect from Bob Nelson, the author of the "1001 Ways..." series of books? This book is not terrible, actually, but it really doesn't go into much depth. There are better titles to assist you in your pursuit of a self-employed career in consulting (just a simple search of the term "consulting" in Amazon will list a host of them), if you want to go beyond a casual reading sitting at a Barnes and Noble or Border's store, which is what I did with this title, to draw the conclusion that I now share with you. Beginning consultants of the world: consult elsewhere is my piece of advice!

Update: One place where you could look into is "Getting Started in Consulting, Second Edition" by Alan Weiss.

This book is a very good basic source of information for those who are giving serious consideration to entering the firld of independent consulting.

The book is an easy read (thus the title!) and breaks down the decision making and getting started process into easy to understand, bite size pieces.

There are certain sections that could be more in depth especially setting up your corporate structure and financial considerations. These important areas were hardly touched but have huge implications.

I am very pleased with my purchase of Consulting for Dummies. I am fairly new to consulting and I couldn't find any other books on the topic that were as comprehensive or that covered as many bases as this book did. Not only that, but the book is fun to read and not stuffy or dry like many business books can be. I especially liked the interviews that the authors did with a number of consultants. The interviews were full of great advice from professionals with many years of consulting experience. I refer to the book often when I have questions about how to build my business or how to handle problems with clients.